From Hilltop to Home

We are now into the second month of school with two community weekends and the “long” weekend under our belts, and it’s hard to believe we have crested the midsemester mark.

For many new students, it can take at least till Peddie Week for Blair to feel like it’s their community. I was reminded of this Blair truism yesterday on our annual school trip to the “Feast of San Gennaro” in New York City where the faculty chaperones and I bumped into numerous alumni who made their way downtown to say hello to former classmates, former teachers, prefectees and friends. We actually ran into three alumni serendipitously, which underscored the accuracy of the phrase, “Blair is everywhere.”

It was a pleasure to reconnect with many of you last week at the New Student Welcome Reception. I’m excited to meet everyone else soon—and to warmly welcome back returning Blair families in just a few weeks. 

As I write to you, graduation is just a week away, and culminating assessments for underclass students just a week later. It is an emotional time on campus, and students’ feelings span a wide spectrum: Some seniors are sentimental and nostalgic, while others are counting the days until they cross the stage with their diplomas. Some underclass students are fretting over final portfolios, research papers and the beginning of assessment preparation, while others are finding any excuse to avoid the reality that they are on the horizon.

Two admission Revisit Days, the 10th Annual Day of Giving, an alumnus and now practicing architect delivering an excellent Society of Skeptics talk, classes, lots of victories over the Peddie School in spring competitions and 106 Blair students performing on the most renowned stage in the world. Just a typical spring week at Blair!